Salvini “hammered a nail into the coffins of pro-immigration politicians,” and Hungary has joined this “operation”, even if “with smaller nails,” the Prime Minister said after he had talks with the head of the Italian government party Lega in Budapest yesterday.

He added that Mr Salvini has proved that pro-immigration politicians are lying when they say that migration cannot stopped.

Additionally, since Mr Salvini has been Italy’s Interior Minister and boats carrying migrants have not been allowed into Italian ports, they have not even set out, and as a result, the number of migrants dying at sea has decreased radically. This clearly shows that “also from the viewpoint of humanity, Mr Salvini’s and Hungary’s policy is the right one”, he observed.

He informed Mr Salvini that Brussels has not reimbursed a penny of the costs of the Hungarian border fence sealing the Balkans migrant route and of border protection.

Mr Orbán also said that the leaders of some European countries are only too willing to use harsh words in relation to the leaders of other countries, and fail to realise that this is disrespectful both towards them and towards their electors.

He mentioned as an example the comments made by some German politicians regarding Mr Salvini’s visit to Budapest, and that one of the Hungarian opposition EP list heads described the Italian Deputy Prime Minister and the head of the Polish government party as scoundrels.

In the context of German politicians, Mr Orbán remarked that they pass judgements about the politicians of other countries in an unacceptable style without any moral inhibition.

In the Prime Minister’s view, those who insult Mr Salvini – who represents the Italian people – insult the Italian people.

He also said that, in contrast to the Brussels elite “sitting in a bubble”, he is happy to see new entrants in politics. In his words, members of the Brussels elite speak a language of their own – if there is any language that “one should take an examination in it must be that” –, they are locked in their own thoughts, they have no idea about what, in actual fact, Röszke, the border fence, migrants, migrants attacking police officers and the threat of unidentified bank cards mean, and they do not understand that together with migrants they also import terrorism into Europe because in their offices and well-protected homes there is no threat of terrorism.

Regarding the EP elections, Mr Orbán said it is not party families that are of real consequence, but the persons of the Presidents of the prospective European Commission and European Council. The question is whether they will be pro-immigration or anti-immigration.

He asked Hungarian electors to support Fidesz-KDNP because this is the way they can exert pressure on Brussels and achieve that the most important positions are given to anti-immigration politicians.

On the issue of the quotas, Mr Orbán said the Germans want to get rid of those whom “they were silly enough” to let into their countries, meaning that “while they are using arguments of humanity, in actual fact, this is the simplest anti-migrant reaction”.

According to the Prime Minister, however, “you have made your bed, now you must lie in it”.

Hungary can help by stating loudly and clearly that migrants should be taken back home, not distributed, and we must help their native countries as the Hungarian government does, he pointed out.

Regarding reports that French President Emmanuel Macron would expel those Member States from the Schengen Area which do not want to take part in the distribution of migrants, Mr Orbán said if Mr Macron wants to depart from the Schengen regulations currently in force, the agreement must be changed first; this, however, will not happen, “my advice to him is that he should not even bother trying”.

He said next week Austrian Vice-Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache will pay a visit to Hungary.

The Prime Minister said regarding the international forum of the Belt and Road Initiative held last week that, in Hungary’s view, China’s rise is an enormous opportunity. On the one hand, the world economy is expanding by 1.4 billion people, and on the other, the plan of connecting Europe and Asia together by air, road and rail is an historic world enterprise, and those who are left out will miss out.

Commenting on Western European criticisms made in this regard, he said so far “the real big bucks” have been claimed by the Germans and the French; the latter have just sold 300 aircraft to China.

Therefore, those who want Hungary not to trade with the East “live in delirium” as the truth is that western countries have a robust presence on this market, and laugh at those who believe such “hypocritical” claims as that cooperating with the East is wrong. Hungary’s government will not act like dupes, said the Prime Minister.

Regarding the refurbishment of the Budapest-Belgrade railway line, he observed that the recovery of the project depends on how much cargo will be transported on the line.

“The more we involve ourselves in the construction of the Silk Road, the faster this investment, too, will be recovered,” he said.

Mr Orbán also touched upon his working visit to Washington on 13 May, regarding which he said they will talk about money, migration and the economy at the meeting with US President Donald Trump.

He highlighted that according to the UN’s concept, migration is a human right, but “there are some of us around the world […] who are critical of this”.

Both the United States and Hungary share this view, within the UN they belong to a group which seeks to prevent international aspirations aimed at turning migration into a global phenomenon. “Therefore, one of the most important issues of this meeting will be how we could cooperate in the fight against migration at international forums in the future,” he said.

He added that they will naturally also discuss economic issues as economic relations between the two countries are making excellent progress.